It’s like living in Michigan…only different

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We’ve been having a lot of “campfires” lately. We used to do this back in Michigan too. We’d start up a little fire, roast some hot dogs and marshmallows and the kids would be running all over the yard. It’s just a little different here. First off, we’ve been making “big people” food, like chicken and potatoes, which both of the kids have really taken too. Second, we now roast our marshmallows on forks because we don’t have any wire. Darin has no more hair left on one of his hands and one of my arms has a bare spot as well. The final difference is that our kids now stay right by the fire instead of running around because it is winter here and they are seeking warmth.

(As a side note, did you know that a roasted marshmallow is capable of burning the inside of a person’s lip? Well, it is. Last night Tyson fell victim to a particularly hot marshmallow and the inside of his lip is now all white and icky looking. Poor kid. He’s been sitting with a pouty lip since last night, even in his sleep!)

We do not have central heat out here, which I believe I mentioned before. Instead we have a space heater, which does spit out a good deal of heat. The problem is, it’s so concentrated that your legs end up feeling like they are on fire and the rest of your body is still cold. Last night the kids both had on winter hats and two pairs of gloves. I can’t say as I blame them. It was pretty chilly last night.

Back in Michigan we had a few very friendly postal workers who picked up and dropped off our mail. We’ve heard there are some areas of the city that do have postal workers, but for the most part, you are the postal worker. You bring your mail to the post office to be sent and most people here have PO boxes and pick up their own mail. We are “sharing” a PO Box for now, but at some point we will have our own. I really do miss the convenience of someone else coming to get my mail for me as it now requires some forethought on our part, to make sure we take the letters along with us when we go out.

That’s all for this edition.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Wishing we could sit at the campfire with you and roast hotdogs and marshmellow's , the only difference is I don't think I would use a fork. Your poor arms/hands! How about some wire from your fence - is there some extra?
Just love reading your posts - keep it up. Sure hope that Tyson's lip feels better soon, that can hurt so much! Love that little guy!
Take care, love to all of you!
Mom
June 27, 2011 at 5:55 AM
Anonymous said…
Jonna, it's so funny, but I read your blog and then went to check the weather forecast for Pretoria :) I think you might warm up just a tiny bit later this week! Thanks for sharing your new world in Africa. We're praying for you here in Michigan! Lori Schrader
June 27, 2011 at 6:42 AM
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